Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
Closeup of an Io Volcano
Explanation:
In 1979, one of NASA's Voyager [ http://nssdc.gsfc.n…] spacecraft made a spectacular and unexpected discovery. Io, [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] the innermost Galilean moon of Jupiter, was covered with volcanoes and some of them were erupting! In all, Voyager 1 observed nine volcanic eruptions during its encounter with the moon. When Voyager 2 flew past four months later it was able to confirm that at least six of them were still erupting. This Voyager image of Ra Patera, a large shield volcano, shows colorful flows up to about 200 miles long emanating from the dark central volcanic vent.

For more information about volcanism on Io, see Calvin J. Hamilton's Io page [ http://www.c3.lanl.…]

Tomorrow's picture: Geysers on Triton
Credit and Copyright:
NASA, Voyager Project, Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton
facet_when:
1979
facet_where:
Jupiter
facet_where:
Hamilton
facet_where:
Triton
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_what:
Voyager
facet_what:
Moon
facet_what:
Jupiter
facet_what:
Voyager 2
facet_what:
Voyager 1
facet_what:
Io
facet_when_year:
1979
original url:
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap950804

Closeup of an Io Volcano